The five most ‘sack happy’ Premier League clubs: Pochettino axe will see Chelsea join surprising leaders at No 1

The Premier League is arguably the most demanding division in the world when it comes to managers, with a huge turnover of coaches in recent years.

In this feature, we look at the clubs that have been through the most managers since the PL era began in 1992 and what that could mean for their current bosses.

The particularly high turnover at certain clubs indicates that they have not been well run in recent years. In some cases, that

Mauricio Pochettino will already be worried about his future amid Chelsea’s terrible run of form, but he might feel even worse after reading this list.

Everton – 21 managers

Everton have gone through 21 managers since the inception of the Premier League, which is incredible given David Moyes was at the helm at Goodison Park between 2002 and 2013.

Roberto Martinez replaced Moyes after he left for Manchester United. Following Farhad Moshiri’s takeover in 2016, 12 different managers (including caretakers) have been and gone.

Martinez was replaced by Ronald Koeman, whose huge spending left Everton significantly worse off than when he arrived. Sam Allardyce followed, securing an eighth-place finish in 2017-18.

Marco Silva – who is now a success at Fulham – failed to take Everton up the table before the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti gave their fans some hope – only for him to leave for Real Madrid after a season.

Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was probably the most controversial and disappointing appointment – although his successor Frank Lampard almost got them relegated.

Sean Dyche, who replaced Lampard in January last year, finally seems to have Everton on the right track again. If they can avoid drop this season, he could be around for a few more years yet.

Aston Villa – 22 managers

Aston Villa are enjoying success under Unai Emery this season and are dreaming of a top-four finish, but managers haven’t always had it good at Villa Park.

The Midlands side were relegated for the first time in the PL era in the 2015-16 season. Remi Garde replaced Tim Sherwood when they were bottom of the table and when he left less than five months later, they were still in last position. 

Steve Bruce came close to getting Aston Villa back into the Premier League but after a loss in a play-off final and a disappointing following season, he was replaced by Dean Smith, who got the job done in 2018-19.

Steven Gerrard took over from Smith in 2021 but couldn’t replicate the success he had at Rangers, and was sacked at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, with his team in danger of relegation.

The turnaround under Emery has been nothing short of remarkable, with Villa now sitting in fourth place in the table.

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Chelsea – 23 managers

Chelsea went through plenty of different managers during the Roman Abramovic era but they were often rewarded with trophies due to making the decisions at the right times.

Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti are just two examples of top coaches who enjoyed success and trophies with the Blues.

Chelsea’s managerial situation since their takeover by Todd Boehly and co in 2022 has been a shambles, however.

Thomas Tuchel was in charge when Boehly came onto the scene. The American billionaire decided to sack the German coach in March 2023 despite him winning the Champions League just a few months earlier.

Tuchel also had the fourth-highest win percentage (60%) of any Chelsea manager to have been in charge for more than 100 games.

Graham Potter was brought in to replace Tuchel but despite his success with Brighton, he ultimately failed to impress at Stamford Bridge.

After a brief return for Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed at the start of this season and now he is in danger of being sacked just seven months into his tenure.

Chelsea currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League table and unless their form improves drastically, Pochettino may not be around for much longer.

Newcastle – 24 managers

It’s fair to say that Newcastle fans have been through a turbulent time over the past 30 years era and sit joint-top of the worst clubs to manage in the PL era.

Kevin Keegan led the Magpies to a second-place finish in the 1995-96 campaign. Kenny Daglish replaced Keegan and also secured a second-place finish in the following season, as well as reaching an FA Cup final.

The reigns of Keegan and Daglish were the most successful in the last 30 years for Newcastle. Since then, they have been relegated twice.

In the most recent instance in 2016, Steve McClaren was the man responsible for Newcastle dropping down to the second tier after he won just seven of his 31 games in charge.

Rafa Benitez replaced McClaren at the end of the 2015-16 season, almost kept them up, and then led them to the Championship title three years later.

Steve Bruce took charge of the Magpies in 2019 and kept them in the Premier League and was replaced by Eddie Howe after their takeover by PIF.

Howe enjoyed success last season, guiding his team to an impressive fourth-place finish and a Carabao Cup final.

However, pressure is now building on the English coach, with his team now sitting in ninth place in the table after being knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.

As with Chelsea, we could potentially see a change in manager at Newcastle sooner than expected.

Tottenham – 24 managers

Tottenham sit joint-top of the worst Premier League clubs to manage charts along with Newcastle, having gone through 24 different bosses since 1992.

Incredibly, Spurs have only had two managers that have lasted more than three years since 1992 – Harry Redknapp and Pochettino.

Daniel Levy became chairman of the club in 2001 and he is known for his brutal approach towards sacking managers.

Pochettino had the most success in recent years, guiding Tottenham to a Champions League final in 2019.

Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte have been and gone since Pochettino’s reign, and now Ange Postecoglou is charged with bringing success to Spurs.

The Aussie coach has started well, with his team playing an exciting brand of football. They currently sit in fifth place in the table.

If Tottenham continue their current form, Postecoglou’s job should be safe for the foreseeable future – but then again – you never really know in the Premier League.

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